Line conductor for electric railways.



No. 674,467. Patented May 2|, l90l; A. PALMROS.

LINE CONDUCTBR FDR ELECT RIC RAILWAYS. (Application filed Jan. 12, 1801.) v (No Model.) 2 She ets- Sheet l.

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LINE CONDUCTUR FOR E LECTBIC RAILWAYS; {Application Med Jan. 12, 1901.}

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 2|, l90l.

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MM! MM Wmmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER PALMROS, OF FAIRMOUN'I, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE JEFFREY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

LINE CONDUCTOR FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,467, dated May 21,1901.

Application filed January 12, 1901. Serial No. 43,032. (No model.)

1'0 at! whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER PALMROS, a citizen of Finland, residing at Fairmount, in the county of Marion and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Line Conductors for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device complete. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the gate-hinge mechanism. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the correlation of all the parts. Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged details of the automatic gate-latching mechanism. Figs. 7 and S are enlarged details of the gate guy-rod supports. Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are enlarged details of the gate-hinge mechanism.

In conducting mining and some kinds of excavating and similar operations electric trolley-lines are employed with the trolley conductor wire ata relatively short distance above the ground, and as it would be of great advantage to carry such trolley-lines across ordinary wagon-roads or other lines, electric or otherwise, at grade, and as such low trolley-lines would interfere with the passage of cars or other vehicles along such crossed roads or lines, means must be provided when such low trolley-conductors are employed whereby the ordinary uses of the crossed lines or roads shall not be interfered with, and the present invention is designed to provide means whereby such grade-crossings may be thus constructed and operated;

The invention consists in means whereby a portion of the trolley-wire at the points where it crosses other lines may be temporarily disconnected to permit the passage of cars or other vehicles and without interferingwith the operation of the other portions of 'the trolley-line.

The invention further consists in the various details of the construction, all as hereinafter shown and described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the railroad-bed, which is of the ordinary construction. At the sides of the crossing, adjacent to the road-bed, posts 2 3 are erected, and to these posts the trolley conductor-wire 4 is connected by supporters 5 6, the conductor-wire ending at the posts, as shown at 7 8, these ends being connected together by a Wire 9, passing upward along the posts 2 3 and across between them at a point high enough to permit the free passage of all vehicles beneath it. By this means the electric currents flow continuously through both parts of the divided trolley-wire.

Between the posts 2 3 a gate is erected consisting of a main boom 10, preferably of gaspipe and connected at one end to the post 3 by a hinged joint and adapted to be temporarily connected at the other end by an automatic latch mechanism to the post 2. A section 11 of conductorwire is suspended from the boom 10 by supporters 12, with its ends 13 14 adapted to register with the ends 7 and 8 of the main-line wire 4, so that when in its closed position the section of wire 11 forms a bridge to span the gap between the ends 7 8, so that the trolley-wheel will run without a break from one part of the wire 4 to the other. The hinged end of the conductor-section 11 is connected to the adjacent part of the wire 4 by a flexible conductor-section 15, so that the electric connection between the parts 11 4 will remain intact, no matter in what position the gate may be placed.

The construction of the hinge mechanism is shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, consisting of a bracket 16,secured to the post 3 and projecting therefrom and to which a hinge-section 17 is secured by a vertical pintle 18 at one end and to the boom 10 at the other end. By this means a hinge connection is provided between the boom 10 and the post 3, which enables the boom, together with its attached section 11 of conductor-wire, to swing around at right angles to the railway-tracks, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

To support the boom 10 in its horizontal position, a series of guys 19 2O 21 are arranged, connected at their lower ends at suitable intervals to the boom 10 and converging to one point and connected to a loop 22 on the post 3 near its upper part. Each of the guys 19 2O 21 is provided with a turnbuckle 23 24 25, by which the boom 10 may be adjusted and retained in its horizontal position.

The latch mechanism consists in a stop 26, attached to the post 2 in the path of the out-er end of the boom 10, so that the cap 27 on the outer end of the boom will strike it and be retained by it when the gate is closed. The stop 26 will be so adjusted that when the cap 27 is in contact therewith the adjacent ends 7 l3 and 8 14 of the conductor-wires 4 11 will coincide to provide for the proper passage of the trolley-wheel.

Means must be provided to retain the boom 10 and its attached trolley-wiresection 11 with sufficient force to resist displacement by the ordinary strains to which it will be subjected, and such a retaining means is indicated by an inclined spring-tongue 28, which will yield to the pressure of the cap 27 when the gate is closed and by its pressure against the outer surface of the cap, as indicated in Fig. 5, will retain the gate in its closed position, but which will yield when the gate is forcibly drawn backward when it is to be opened.

As many of the gates may be erected in the line as there are crossings Without interference one with the other, as the bridging-wires 9 provide for the continuous flow of the electric current under all circumstances, no inatter whether one or more of the gates are open or closed and no matter how many gates there may be in the line.

The loops 22 are supported in a hanger 29, bolted to the post 3, so that the loop will swing freely with the motion of the gate, so that there will be no cramping or binding of the guy-rods.

The connecting-wire 9 may be conducted beneath the crossing, as by an underground conduit, if required; but the manner shown of carrying it across above the roadway is preferred.

The device may also be adapted for use where two low-line trolley-roads cross, it required.

One or more electric lamps 30 may be attached to the posts 2 3 and connected in circuit by wires 31 with the conductor cross-wire 9 to illuminate the crossing and the ground or track-line, as shown. A

What I claim is-- 1. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a sectionof trolley-wire in said open spaces and registering with said main trolley-wire, and means whereby said section may be supported within said open space, and adapted to be temporarily removed from said open space.

2. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-Wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit. the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said maiu-line'trolley-wire. means for supporting said boom and its attached trolley-Wire section, said boom and its attachments being adapted to be temporarily removed from said open space.

In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolleywire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said main-line trolley-wire, means for hinging one end of said boom at one side of said open spaceQand means for connecting the other end of said boom yield-ably at the other side of said open space.

4. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said main-line trolley-wi re,. means for supporting said boom and its attached trolley-wire section, and means whereby said trolley-wire section may be permanently connected electrically with said main-line trolley-wire.

5. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said main-line trolley-wire, means for hinging one end of said boom at one side of said open space, means for connecting the other end of said boom yieldably at the other side of said open space, and a flexible electric connection between said trolley-wire section and the main trolleyline at the hinge end of said boom, whereby permanent electric connection is maintained between said main-line conductor and said conductor-section. I

6., In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sutficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said main-line trolley-wire, means for hinging one end of said boom at one side of said open space, and a yieldable spring-latch adapted to retain the other end of said boom at the other side of said open space.

7. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connecting the adjacent ends of said trolley-wire at said open spaces and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-wire registering with said main-line trolley-wire, means for hinging one end of said boom atone side of said open space, a stop to support the opposite end of said boom at the opposite side of said open space, and a spring-tongue adapted to retain said boom end yieldably against said stop.

8. In an electric railway, open spaces in the trolley conductor-wire, conductor-wires connectin g the adjacent ends of said trolley-wi re at saidopen spaces-and sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a bridging-boom supporting a section of trolley-Wire registering with said mainine trolley-wire, means for hinging one end of said boom at one side of said open space, means for connecting the other end of said boom yieldably at the other side of said open space, a support for said hinged boom, a laterallyfiexible loop upon said support, and guys connecting said boom with said flexible loop, whereby the boom is supported at all points equally.

9. In an electric railway, vertical masts or posts at the sides of crossing lines adjacent to the trolley conductor-wire, open spaces in said trolley-wire between said posts, means for supporting the ends of said divided trolley-wire from said posts, a conductor-wire connecting the adjacent ends of said trolleywire at said open spaces and-sufficiently out of alinement with the trolley-wire to permit the passage of vehicles through said open spaces, a boom supporting a section of trolley-wire with its ends registering with the adjacent ends of said divided main-line trolley-wire, means for hinging said boom to one 

